WO1992000667A1

WO1992000667A1 - Method and device for transport of live fish

Info

Publication number: WO1992000667A1
Application number: PCT/NO1991/000091
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens G. Balchen
Original assignee: Havbruksteknologi As
Priority date: 1990-07-10
Filing date: 1991-06-25
Publication date: 1992-01-23
Also published as: NO170613B; NO903071D0; NO903071L; NO170613C

Abstract

Method for transporting live fish, where each fish is covered by a container (12) over the head and the gill area (18). Excess water is sucked out from the container (12) for filtration, removal of CO2 and possible addition of O2, as well as recirculation. The container (12) is connected to a supply tube (15) with water that is rich in oxygen and a suction tube (18) for the removal of water that is low in oxygen.

Description

Method and device for transport of live fish.

The invention .comprises a method and a device of the type stated in the introduction to Claim 1 for the preservation and transport of live fish.

Background

There has been a need for a long time to find suitable means to transport live fish, especially that makes it possible to offer the fish in a live state or freshly- slaughtered to the consumer. As the farming of fish and the cultivation of valuable species have developed, a means has to be found that enables certain species of live fish, such as salmon, halibut and turbot, to be transported over long distances.

US Patent 4 844 012 describes placing fish individually in narrow cages and supplying water enriched with oxygen to the fish in the area surrounding their gills. The fluid from the chamber and the excretory liquid containing ammonia are removed from the chamber and fed through the circulation system for water treatment and supply of water enriched with oxygen. This places great demands on the treatment system, this includes a separate system for ammonia removal.

This existing solution has nevertheless been poorly suited for use in means of transport where there is considerable movement, such as aircraft.

Objectives

The main objective with the invention is to find a method and a device for the preservation and transport of living fish over long distances, where the total transport weight is reduced thus lowering the transport costs.

A particular objective is to find a method and a device for the preservation and transport of living fish that makes it possible to reduce the amount of water that has to be involved, so as to increase the relationship between the effective cargo and the total cargo. Principle

The principle of the invention is stated in Claims 1 and 2, which define a new method and a new device for the preservation and transport of living fish over long distances.

The invention makes it possible to achieve such great reductions in the amount of water that air transport of live fish is considerably cheaper than previously. The invention thus makes it possible to supply consumers at large distances from the place of farming or the place where living fish are landed.

The invention is primarily intended for the long-distance transport of valuable fish such as salmon, halibut and turbot. But in principle the invention can also be used for the mass transport of less expensive fish for consumption, even though it will be most appropriate to slaughter such non-valuable fish for consumption at or near the place it is fished and transport it in a refrigerated or other form. The invention can also be used for the preservation and transport of fish in other connections than being transported to consumers. A feasible application in this context would be the preservation of fish for scientific purposes.

Exam le

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, where

Fig. 1 shows a schematic lateral perspective of a fish placed in a transport container that is in accordance with the invention, while

Fig. 2 shows a plane perspective from above of the supply nozzle.

In Figure 1 there is a fish 11, such as a farmed salmon that is ready to be sold for consumption. The fish is placed in an elongated bag or container 12 of impermeable plastic- or rubber foil. The container 12 can be appropriately kept rolled prior to use, with a base plate 13, that is designed to allow two pipes or tubes to pass tightly through, ready for rolling onto the fish. Behind the tail of the fish the container can be sealed by a clamp or a rubber seal 14. Before the container 12 is placed around the fish a supply tube 15 with a stop disc 16 is inserted into the mouth of the fish 17. The free end of this supply tube can be fitted with a perforated sphere to distribute the water that is supplied to the inlet of the gills in the mouth of the fish. There is also a Y-shaped suction clamp 18 with two branched ends 19A and 19B that are to be fitted to the gills 20 of the fish. The branched ends 19A and 19B can be shaped like the bent side supports in spectacles, with sealed ends and perforations in the end area for the suction of water. The transfer of water from the head to the tail of the fish is prevented by making the container 12 so tight that it presses against the widest part of the fish or there is an elastic ring 21 around the fish in this area such as a rubber band.

The supply tube 15 is connected to a water supply system that is not illustrated that supplies fresh water, rich in oxygen at a low pressure, from a pump connected to a water supply container. When water is supplied to the mouth 17 of the fish through the tube 15, a water layer will be formed that supplies water to the gills 20 of the fish and thereby gives the fish the necessary means to stay alive.

The suction clamp 18 is connected to a suction system for removing the water that comes out from the gills of the fish, the water that is sucked out is supplied to a circulation and treatment arrangement with a suction pump.

The elastic ring 21 divides the container 12 into a front chamber by the gills where there is a slight underpressure because of the suction through the suction clamp 18, and a rear chamber that collects the urine from the fish. The tightening of the container 12 around the fish can also be achieved by designing the container with a flexible tapering. Other means can be used to divide the two chambers from each other. This division does not have to be completely tight, and it can tolerate a slight seepage of water from the front to the rear chamber.

In an alternative design the container 12 only stretches as far back as the band 21 or a similar tapering. The throughflow of the water will be so slow so that itwill not be necessary to treat the water that is led out of the rear chamber. The contaminated water can thus be caught in the simplest manner and emptied upon arrival at the destination and when the fish are removed.

The main part of the water supplied will be recirculated through the suction clamp 18. This creates an underpressure in the front chamber that suchs out air and presses the container in towards the body of the fish, thus reducing the amount of water that is transported along with the fish in the front chamber. The water supply through the tube 16 can be aided by oxygen enriched water. If this is combined with the direct supply to the gill area 18, this can help to minimize the amount of water.

Numerous fish in containers 12 can be tranported together in specially designed large containers, such as a case moulded in a foamed material (not illustrated). Here the water supply and water suction to and from the respective containers 12 is achieved by connecting the supply tubes 15 and the suction tubes 18 in series. The water supply can come from an existing water network, in connection with still storage, for example. During transport, as mentioned, a circulation network can be used with an in-built treatment plant for removing contamination created by the fish during storage and transport. An alternative is to have a water system without a treatment plant for use during transport over short distances. It can also be relevant to combine the use of plastic with pores and inserted blocks of hygroscopic materials designed to keep the fish moist and for the collection of excretory matter. The last alternative has the advantage that it can be produced in such inexpensive, light materials that it reduces the problem of returning packaging, this includes taking care of valuable packaging materials.

It is advantages to adjust the saline content of the water to the physiology of the fish. For salmon, an advantageonε saline water content is about 12 parts per thousand.

Claims

Claims:

1. Method for transporting live fish where each fish is kept in a relatively tight enclosing chamber, that surrounds the individual fish completely or partly and that supplies water to the gill area of the fish and where the water in the chamber is recirculated following the supply of O , c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the fish being covered by a container (12) or similar over the head and the gill area (18), and that excess water is sucked out of the container for filtration, removal of CO and possible addition of O , as well as recirculation.

2. Method in accordance with Claim 1, where the fish is covered completely by a container (12) c h a r a c t e r i z e d by there being a means of blocking the supply of water from the rear part of the fish to keep the urine away from the recirculation system.

3. Method in accordance with Claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by water being supplied with a saline content that is physiologically optimally suited to fish, such as 12 parts per thousand for salmon.

4. Device to carry out the method of transport in Claim l or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by it comprising a container or the like (12) that is designed to cover at least the front part of the fish (16, 20) including the gill area, and that this container is connected to a supply tube (15) for water that is rich in oxygen and a suction tube (18) for the removal of water that is low in oxygen.

5. Device in accordance with Claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by it comprising a container (12) that extends over the length of the fish and which is tapered in the central part of the fish (by 21) to be pressed against the fish so that the possibility of the transfer of fluid from the back part of the fish is limited.

6. Device in accordance with Claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the container (12) that is rolled up prior to being placed on the fish from the front is rolled up.

7. Device in accordance with one of Claims 4-6,

5 c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the water outlet through the suction tube (18) is designed to give as little water as possible in the container (12).

8. Device in accordance with one of Claims 4-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the suction tube comprising a

10 fork (18) with ends that are shaped like the side supports on glasses spectacles that are to be inserted behind the gills of the fish.

9. Device in accordance with one of Claims 4-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the supply tube (15) with the

15 water rich in oxygen having a perforated sphere on its free end.

/-